TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

State Civil Rights Advisory Committee Recommends Absentee Voting Expansion

Posted by: Kate Prince on Nov 17, 2022
News Type: Legal News

The Tennessee Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights this week recommended that the state expand access to absentee voting, citing apparent “deficiencies” found in a study of the state's voting laws and barriers to the ballot box. The ongoing study is also looking at restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the civil rights impact of SB008, a controversial bill passed in 2020 that criminalized some protests in the state. In its interim memo, the committee pointed to the state’s use of “excuse” absentee voting, which requires absentee voters to have an approved reason to obtain the ballot, as a barrier to voting. It also referenced the state’s requirement that absentee ballots be returned by mail by the close of polls on Election Day. Secretary of State Tre Hargett pushed back on some of the recommendations, mentioning the state’s “generous” early voting period. The commission may now choose to send the memo to the General Assembly and Gov. Bill Lee as a formal request. The Tennessean has the story. 

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